


The Circle Game

by bitboozy



Series: Domesticated [49]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Gen, Post-Series, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:33:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26699080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitboozy/pseuds/bitboozy
Summary: Alec and Ellie adjust to a new dynamic as they prepare to send Daisy off to university.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Series: Domesticated [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550554
Comments: 92
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

Alec is sitting on the lidded toilet, his injured ankle stretched out in front of him.

Ellie turns off the faucet and sits on the edge of the bathtub holding a very squirmy, very naked baby.

“Okay.”

He nods. “Okay.”

“Here we go.”

She gingerly places the baby in the bathtub, in less than two inches of lukewarm water. Aila looks down at the water, then looks up at her parents, blinking at them quizzically. Then she looks down at again.

Then she slaps her hands against the water and starts splashing it about jubilantly. “Ayayayayaya!”

“Well,” Ellie exhales. “There we are then.”

“Her very first big girl bath,” Alec says, with more emotion than he could have predicted.

Aila grins at her parents, beaming as if she just discovered the existence of water, and continues splashing. When drops of water hits her face, she startles, but then shakes it off and continues.

“Our little water baby,” Ellie coos, reaching out to push Aila’s dark hair away from her eyes. “We’re too old to be this sentimental.”

“Don’t think this sort of thing _gets_ old, El,” Alec reasons. “No matter how many times you’ve been through it.”

“’Specially ‘cause she’s our last,” she agrees a bit tearfully. “This is the last first big kid bath a child of ours will ever take.”

Alec watches the baby wistfully. “And when did she get so _big_?”

“Ten whole months old,” Ellie moans. “Feels like just yesterday she was in the NICU.”

Aila, entirely oblivious to the emotional state of her parents, continues to babble happily as she realizes she can not only splash in the water, she can kick her feet.

Alec holds out his arm. “Barely the size of my forearm.”

Aila outstretches her own arm, mimicking him, and waves her hand at him. “A- _da_ -da!”

His eyes begin to well up. Ellie swats his knee. “Don’t you dare cry, you’ll frighten the hell out of her.”

He shakes his head, trying to knock the threatening tears out of him. “I won’t.”

“Look at you, sweet love.” She swipes a hand over Aila’s face. “So big.”

Aila offers her a mostly toothless grin.

“Our perfect wee accident,” Alec sighs, grimacing instead of crying.

“A- _da-_ da,” Aila says again, now slapping the side of the bathtub.

“We’ll have to get her bath toys now,” Ellie says. “Dunno what happened to Fred’s.”

“Gave ‘em to Lizzie, I reckon.”

“Ah, yes.” Then her eyes widen. “…Oh no.”

“What?”

“You know what we’ll have to get her…” She looks at him warningly.

He stares back at her.

“A rubber duck.”

Aila’s face lights up with recognition. “DUCK.”

*

Later, lying together in bed, lights just switched off, Alec sniffles.

Ellie turns her head in the darkness. “What.”

“Just thinkin’ about the day Aila was born.”

She blinks at him. “Sweetheart.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it possible you’ve getting all…weepy over Aila instead of facing _Daisy’s_ impending departure head on?”

He frowns at her and shifts away from her a bit, though he doesn’t fully turn onto his side. “What are you, a bloody shrink now.”

“Speaking of which…”

“Seein’ her tomorrow,” Alec admits grudgingly.

“Good.”

He turns back to her. “You were gettin’ emotional over Aila too.”

“Yeah, but I was just caught up in the moment. I’m over it now,” Ellie replies. “ _You’re_ not.”

He’s quiet for a moment, staring at the ceiling though he knows Ellie is watching him unabashedly. Then he lets out a sigh. “’s a lot, you know? One daughter leavin’ the nest. The other havin’ just got here. Watchin’ Daisy get ready to leave home while watchin’ Aila experience everythin’ in her life for the first time…”

Ellie nods. “It’s an odd sort of…circular thing, isn’t it. A strange dichotomy.”

“Overlookin’ the fact that I’m somehow able to have an eighteen-year-old daughter and a baby at the same _time_ , it’s quite….erm. Intense. Yeah?”

She smiles. “’Course it is. And you can call it whatever you like, you don’t need to tiptoe about it.”

“Daisy thinks me havin’ Aila will make it all easier for me,” Alec tells her, finally turning onto his side to face her. “But it won’t. It doesn’t.”

“I know.” She reaches out to touch his cheek. “And deep down I think she knows that too. But just imagine…” She hesitates briefly. “Two and a half years ago Daisy probably imagined she’d be off to uni leaving you all on your own. And think how awful _that_ would’ve been for her. The guilt she’d have felt. The pressure. At least now she gets to go off into the world knowing you’re still surrounded by family and so much love. You’ll never be alone another day in your life.” She cracks a smile. “Like it or not.”

Alec kisses her hand. “Yeah.”

“And she’s not far. Eight hours by car, few hours by train,” Ellie adds. “She can come home any weekend she likes. And you can visit _her_ any weekend you like. We’re very lucky.”

“D’you think she will? Visit, I mean.”

She stares at him incredulously. “Of _course_ she will. Maybe not as often as we’d _like_ , and maybe less as time goes on, but absolutely she will. School holidays at minimum, obviously. Yes, we’ll split her with Tess, but we’ll make good use of our time with her.” She strokes his face soothingly. “She’ll not want her baby sister to forget her. So I imagine she’ll be around enough for that alone.”

“Think they’ll be mates as adults?” Alec asks. “Eighteen years between them.”

Ellie lets out a short laugh then shrugs. “Huh, probably. Daiz’ll seem like more of a cool aunt.” She smiles as she thinks about it. “And they’ll be united in their frustration toward their obnoxious brothers.”

She leans over and kisses his cheek. “Night, love.”

Alec moves onto his back again. “Night.”

*

Aila crawls around the floor of David’s flat with rampant curiosity. She’s always looking for new places to explore. Ellie sits on the sofa beside her father, both cradling mugs of tea in their hands.

“Soon enough I’ll even be able to raise my arms above my head again,” David informs her proudly.

Ellie smiles. Then her eyes glaze over a bit as she remembers Alec after his pacemaker operation. She shakes herself out of it. “It’s good you have Sally,” she says. “Nice to have someone to look after you. You’d get tired of me and Lucy underfoot pretty quickly I reckon.”

He nods. “She’s here most days. Not exactly what I had in mind for her only a few months into our…time together, but she’s a good sport. Never complains.”

“Clearly mad for you.”

“Ah.” David waves her off. Then notices Aila out of the corner of his eye. “’Bout to disappear into the loo.”

Ellie jumps up and goes after the baby, scooping her up just as she crawls onto the bathroom tiles. “Where d’you think _you’re_ goin’, missy?”

Aila whines until Ellie puts her down again, this time near the sofa.

“You’ll stop by the house for supper this week, yeah?” She says to her father. “Daisy’s off on Sunday.”

“Bloody hell,” David replies. “Is it that time already?”

“’Fraid so.”

Aila reaches for the coffee table, tightens her grip, then hoists herself up with a triumphant smile on her face.

“Well done, my girl,” he praises her.

Aila then looks at her mother a bit smugly.

“Yes, you’re a little genius, we know.” Ellie smirks at her.

“How’s Alec taking it all?” David asks.

“Uh.” She glances briefly over at Aila, who is bouncing in place. “All right, I s’pose. It’ll get a bit worse each day as we get closer I suspect. His injury certainly isn’t helping his mood any, I’ll tell you that.”

“How much longer then? ‘Til he’s rid of the crutches.”

“A week or two. Not soon enough.”

David nods. “And how are _you_ holding up?”

“I’m…” Ellie looks around as if searching for the answer, then sighs. “’m all right. Bit tired. The kids have been great, helping out a little more around the house with Alec laid up but it’s still been a bit much. More like having a fifth child than a husband.”

Aila loses her grip and plops down onto the floor. They both snap their heads in her direction. She looks a little shell-shocked, then simply starts crawling away, as if the coffee table has offended her.

“If I can be of any help…”

“No, ta.” She pats her father’s hand. “You’re not out of the woods yet, we need you resting as much as possible.”

Aila crawls into the kitchen. They can hear her little hands slap against the linoleum. Ellie jumps up.

“Come back here, you!”

David chuckles. “Looks like you’ve got your wild child.”

*

A single crutch lays propped up against the overstuffed armchair in which Alec sits, shifting his weight around uncomfortably.

Marjorie, across the way, crosses one leg over the other and smiles patiently. Knowingly.

“Tired of bein’ helpless,” he mutters finally. “Limpin’ around. Can’t do a bloody thing without askin’ for help it seems.”

Marjorie nods placidly. “You’ve come through the worst of it though. You’ll be back on both feet shortly.”

“Daisy’s leavin’ at the weekend.” He averts his eyes from her shiftily.

“Ah, right.” She straightens a bit. “That’s this weekend.”

“Eight hours in the car with my ex-wife,” he adds.

“And your daughter.”

“Aye.” He nods. “Be like some awful flashback to six years in the past. Me and Tess bickerin’ in the front seat, Daisy in the back tryin’ to intervene.”

“Why would it be like that?” Marjorie asks. “You’re not married to her anymore. How much can there be to row about? You’re perfectly capable of making polite conversation, whether or not you enjoy it. At the very least you can switch on the radio. Put on a podcast. Pick an audiobook together.”

Alec scoffs.

“I’m telling you not to let this sour your last hours with Daisy. If you spend the entire car ride sniping at Tess, that’s down to you.”

He turns his head and looks out the window defiantly. Marjorie watches him thoughtfully for a moment.

“How’s Ellie doing?”

Alec turns to blink at her. “Fine.”

“Daisy is her daughter too,” Marjorie reminds him.

This briefly gives him pause, but then he shrugs. “Yeah, but it’s not – she doesn’t – she’s properly _chuffed_ for Daisy to go off to uni. They’re like girlfriends, they’re shoppin’ together, makin’ lists, plannin’ things, doin’ whatever they do. She’s fine. She’s not sentimental.”

“But don’t you think Ellie will miss her _girlfriend_ when she’s gone?”

“Well, yeah, ‘course,” Alec replies. “I know she’ll _miss_ her, but it’s not the same.”

“It might be helpful for you to remember that it’s not just you who’ll be sad to see Daisy go,” Marjorie says. “There are four other people who will be left in the house besides you.”

Alec frowns. “Least they can walk without a bloody crutch glued to their underarm,” he grumbles.

She lifts her mug of tea to her lips, studying him all the while. “Are you and Ellie connecting?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Are you askin’ about our sex life?”

“No, I’m asking if you’re _talking_ about things. Talking _through_ things.”

“Speak to her constantly. We talk about things all the time,” Alec answers defensively. “All day and all night.”

“I know you’re frustrated about your current handicap. But I don’t imagine it’s any fun for Ellie either, being the only parent with two good ankles. Running around at work all day and then running around all evening at home.”

“Not as if I _chose_ this.”

“You’re not to _blame_ , Alec,” Marjorie says. “This isn’t about blame. Or guilt. You and Ellie have a _partnership_ , in a number of ways. You’ve both always prided yourselves on that, is my understanding. As time goes on, and as there are little bumps along the road, your partnership is going to take on different forms. Right now, this is a new one. I think it’s important that you’re open with each other about what it looks like and what you _want_ it to look like.”

He narrows his eyes at her and leans forward a bit. “Are you talkin’ about my ankle or Daisy leavin’ home?”

“Both, I suppose. Respectively. Your dynamic right now is a tricky one with you being injured and I want you to make certain you’re talking through it together as you go,” she responds. “And when Daisy leaves, your dynamic will change again. The dynamic of the entire household will change. You have to stay on top of that. Communicate.”

He shakes his head dismissively. “Ellie and I hardly do anythin’ _but_ communicate.”

She nods slowly, sitting back in her chair. She smirks a bit. “ _Now_ I’m going to ask about your sex life.”

Alec sighs.

“Certainly it’s more difficult with having to mind your injury,” she continues. “But are you managing?”

Alec sighs again, staring at the bookshelf behind her obstinately.

“Sex is a very important part of your relationship with Ellie.”

“We’re fine,” he replies finally. “We’re managin’.”

“Okay. Good.”

“It’s not as _often_ as we’d like. ‘Cause it takes a bit more…work, a bit more…strategy. We can’t be as, um. Spontaneous. Or just fall into it.”

Marjorie blinks. “Fall into it?”

He shifts uncomfortably. “You know, when you’re just…sitting around or lying in bed and things just kind of…progress. You sort of…meld into each other all of a sudden.”

She smiles. “Uh huh.”

Alec somehow growls and scoffs simultaneously. “We’re fine.”

“Is that what Ellie would say?” Marjorie asks. “Are you managing to satisfy _her_ in your condition?”

He folds his arms across his chest. “She….yeah. It’s. If I can – sometimes, yeah.”

“You’ve briefly spoken in the past about how, when she was pregnant, you occasionally had to get creative. To work harder at it. And you were putting the work in, even doing research you said, in order to figure it out. Because it meant that much to you, to maintain your intimacy.”

“Well _she_ should be doin’ the…research _now_ , shouldn’t she? When she was pregnant, I sorted it. Now I’m injured, she can sort it.”

Marjorie stares at him.

“What?” He snaps.

“I think it’s possible that you’ll feel a good deal better if you find a way to connect with Ellie the way you’re used to doing,” Marjorie suggests. “You’ve said you feel that touch is your ‘love language.’ If you’re not able to connect with her physically in a way that satisfies that part of you, you may be feeling the effects of that.”

He clears his throat. “But I can’t – _she_ has to – I mean, she’s got to be the one in control now. So to speak. I can only do so much. And if I even try to _ignore_ the ankle thing, she snaps at me.”

“Sounds to me like _you_ need to figure it out then,” Marjorie tells him. “Because if you’re not connecting with Ellie, all this business with Daisy moving out is going to be ten times harder for you to overcome.”

*

“I’ve got it!” Tom calls out, bounding down the stairs.

It’s a strange thing to hear the doorbell ring and not, as a purely Pavlovian response, spring into action. Alec mind leaps up but his body stays down. He’s just gotten settled on the sofa and he’ll not be moving anytime soon.

A moment later, Tom rushes down the hallway with a large bag of takeaway. “FOOD’S HERE!” He shouts inelegantly.

Alec sniffs, trying to determine the origin of said food. He sniffs again. Chinese.

“Coming!” Ellie comes bounding down the stairs with Aila on her hip, Fred trailing after her. “Where’s Daisy?”

“Some kind of closure dinner with Jade,” Tom replies from the kitchen.

Alec watches Ellie glide down the hallway past the living room and into the kitchen. He briefly wonders if they’ve forgotten about entirely.

“Can we eat in the living room?” Fred asks. “I wanna eat with Daddy.”

Ah, thank god for Fred.

“If Daddy wants to eat he can get off his arse and come to the table,” Ellie replies, just loud enough for his benefit.

He sighs. “I’ll pass!” He calls out.

Predictably, Ellie immediately appears in the doorway with an incredulous look on her face. “I beg your pardon?”

“Been nothin’ but takeaway, takeaway, takeaway since we’ve been back,” Alec complains. “Weeks of it.”

“Better than Mum’s cooking!” Tom laughs sinisterly from the kitchen.

“I’m _so_ sorry, sir, our chef is out on medical leave so we’ve been left to make do,” Ellie replies dryly, a hand on her hip.

He hears Aila babbling from the kitchen amongst the noise of plates and cutlery changing.

“You’re an intelligent woman, surely could follow a bloody recipe,” Alec counters. “It’s not that hard.”

He watches her glare turn icy, her expression turn to stone.

“You do realize I’m doing the job of two parents at the moment, yeah?” Ellie retorts. “While you sit around watching telly, I’ve got four kids to look after, after ten hours on my feet at work.”

“Not my _fault_ , Ellie.”

“No, it isn’t, but you might consider a bit of sodding gratitude for all I’m shouldering on your behalf at the moment.”

Fred enters the room with a plate full of Chinese food, carrying it precariously.

Ellie scowls at him. “What did I just say?”

“Daddy’s in _here_.” Fred shrugs, placing his plate down on the coffee table and sitting on the floor where Alec’s feet would be if they weren't propped up on the sofa. “Wanna be with Daddy.”

Fred picks up the television remote as Ellie continues to scowl.

“You want to watch telly is what you want to do.”

“Yeah, with Daddy.”

Ellie purses her lips angrily and throws her hands up. “Fine. Fine!” She disappears back into the kitchen.

Fred looks up at his father with a mouthful of noodles. “Mumma cross with me or cross with you?”

“She’s just cross, Fred,” Alec replies, defeated. “Close your mouth please.”

*

Ellie is seated on the steps of the front porch when Daisy gets home two hours later. She has a glass of wine next to her.

“El?”

She looks up. “Nice evening?”

“Yeah.” Daisy shrugs. She shrugs at almost everything. Better than a question mark at the end of every sentence, Ellie reasons. “Good to talk things through with Jade. I mean, not that we – like, we’re fine and all, but with us both going off to different universities, felt like we should say a proper goodbye. Get some closure to our relationship.”

“Seems like a very mature notion to me,” Ellie says, approvingly. “Well done you.”

Daisy sits on the step below. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Needed some air. A moment to myself.”

Daisy cringes a bit. “Dad cranky again?”

Ellie more or less rolls her eyes, then takes a sip of her wine.

“Right then,” Daisy says.

“I don’t know, some days he’s himself, other days he’s angry at the whole world, feels like,” Ellie explains. “I knew he’d be a miserable patient but I neglected to realize that would mean he’s a miserable partner as well. But it’s all right.” She offers Daisy a small smile. “Just exhausting.”

“…You’ll have even less help once I’ve gone,” Daisy realizes.

“Ah, yeah, but he’ll be off the crutches shortly thereafter,” Ellie assures her. “Not to worry.” She pats Daisy’s knee. “Why don’t you go in and see him? That’ll cheer him up.”

“All right.” She nods back. “Need anything?”

“Thanks, lovely, I’m set.”

Daisy squeezes Ellie’s shoulder before going into the house.

*

When Alec hobbles into their bedroom late that evening, Ellie is on the edge of the bed rubbing lotion on her legs. She’s freshly showered, damp curls hanging at her shoulders, and wearing his Ramones t-shirt – loose and baggy on her everywhere except the chest – and her knickers. She just barely looks over her shoulder at him when she hears the floor creak.

“Nice chat with Daiz?”

He closes the door. “Good, yeah. Watched a bit of that show she likes.”

She puts the lotion down and rubs her hands together, absorbing the excess. “ _Sex Education_?”

He nods, leaning his crutch against the wall near his closet. “It’s a bit – much.” He begins the process of changing out of his clothes, a long and arduous one in his condition. “Not sure it’s a great…father/daughter show.”

Ellie smiles to herself. “Dunno. Think maybe it is.” She goes to the mirror to moisturize her face.

“You all right?” He glances over his shoulder at her now.

“Yeah, good,” she replies, leaning into the mirror. “Had a long, hot shower. That was nice. Actually managed to shave my legs, you’ll be happy to hear.”

Alec sits on the bed to yank off his trousers. He doesn’t say anything – he doesn’t care much about such things, she knows that. It’s her body and she can do what she wants with it.

“No more stubbly legs rubbing up against yours in the night,” she adds.

She returns to the bed and pulls back the duvet, then sits on the edge and plugs her mobile into its charger on her nightstand. “You ate something, I hope.” There’s just the faintest hint of bitterness in her tone.

He hesitates. “An apple. A piece of toast.”

Ellie sighs heavily. He can _hear_ the rolling of her eyes. “Left you that vegetable stir fry you like in the fridge, with the plain rice.”

He looks at her, the back of her head rather, then just nods to himself. He’s changed out of his clothes and into a fresh pair of boxers. As she’s taken to wearing a t-shirt and knickers to bed, he’s taken to boxers only. It amuses him greatly – her bare from the waist down, him bare from the waist up. Somehow always in balance even when they’re out of sync.

He hobbles over to the bed and sits. She slips under the covers, sitting back against a pile of pillows, scrolling on her mobile. She needs closure with the world before bed, or so she terms it. She takes one last pass at Facebook, at her texts, at her email, and on her News app before putting it away. He watches her for a moment. He likes to watch her facial expressions change while she scrolls. If she’s ever noticed him doing it, she hasn’t said anything.

When she puts the mobile down, he hoists his leg up and maneuvers himself under the duvet as well.

He chews on his bottom lip for a moment before he says, “Sorry about earlier.”

She looks over at him, as if she’s just noticed he’s there. “Oh. Thanks, yeah.” She fluffs her pillows.

“El.”

She looks at him in that open, earnest, expectant way she has.

“I know you’re pullin’ more than your weight right now,” he tells her. “I do appreciate you.”

Her lips finally curve into a half-smile. “I know you do, thank you for saying so.” She leans over and pats his cheek before kissing him softly. “I know who I married.”

She switches off her bedside lamp and he remains where he is, blinking at her. “What’s that mean.”

“It means once a cranky bastard always a cranky bastard.” She settles on her side with her back to him, but not with any bitterness.

Alec frowns. He scoots downward to lie flat on his back. Not his most favourite sleeping position, but the one that’s most comfortable at the moment.

“Love you,” she says with a yawn.

“Love you.”

*

The following afternoon, Ellie sits across from Dr. Keller. Her legs are crossed, hands resting together in her lap. She breathes out.

“It’s finally happened,” she says. And then, after a pause: “We’ve become an old married couple.”

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could end this in two chapters but turns out I can't so three it is.

On Saturday morning, the day before Daisy is due to leave for university, Alec awakes with his face smushed in between Ellie’s breasts. He lifts his head just short of suffocating, then sees that Ellie is still fast asleep, with a smile on her face no less.

He decides to take his current position as a sign. He begins kissing her breasts through the thin fabric of her t-shirt (his t-shirt) and slides a hand underneath it, caressing her stomach. His foot rubs up against hers beneath the sheets and she jerks a bit.

“Mm, mind your ankle,” she murmurs, wetting dry lips.

“’m fine,” he assures her, mouthing at her nipple.

Though her back is arching into him, her hands are gently pushing him away. “Not right now,” she says with a yawn, finally opening her eyes. “I’ve got to get up.”

Alec lifts his head, frowning. “It’s six in the morning.”

“Got plans.”

“What _plans_?”

His incredulity very nearly insults her.

“With Daisy.”

He breathes out and briefly hangs his head before looking at her dubiously again. “Put her off for a bit,” he insists, slipping his warm hand under her shirt again. “’s been four days, El.”

She pats his hand sympathetically then slips away from him and out of bed. “Later.”

With a heavy, exasperated sigh, he lies back against the pillows and watches her change out of her pyjamas.

“Is it such a crime to want to shag my wife?”

Even with her back to him, he hears her snort. “We shag all the time.”

“Not lately we don’t.”

She turns around to face him, completely naked, fresh knickers in her hand. “You’re bloody injured! What do you expect?”

Alec finds himself salivating at her as she pulls on her knickers. “Come back to bed,” he pleads with her hoarsely.

“I _told_ you, I have plans.” She slips on her bra.

“And I have plans to shag you senseless.”

Snapping her bra clasp, she chuckles ruefully. “Oh I’d like to see you try.”

Alec falls back against his pillow with a childish groan, and that’s that.

*

Atop one of the cliffs, Ellie sits with Daisy on a blanket spread over the grass. The pale light of morning and the crisp sea air brings them both a contented feeling, even the baby seated in Daisy’s lap appears calmed by it.

They each hold a Paczki donut from the new Polish bakery at the end of the high street, one last foray into their tradition of experimenting with international foods and restaurants. Aila has a Ziploc bag of Cheerios. Daisy feeds them to her in between bites of her Paczki, because they are two small for Aila to successfully grasp on her own. Two coffees in to-go cups are nestled sturdily in the grass before them.

“This is really lovely, El,” Daisy says, staring out at the horizon, the breeze tussling her hair. “Just us girls.”

Ellie grins and crinkles up her nose. “No smelly boys.”

Daisy laughs. “Hate to be leaving you alone with them.”

“Ah, we’ll manage.” Ellie shrugs. “Although I have to say it’s somewhat…strange to remember that it used to be just me, Tom, and Fred. And Joe, of course, before that. It had always just been ‘me and the boys.’ I’ve gotten so used to you, having you around to keep me sane. Be odd to go back to the way things were.”

“Well, you’ve never lived with Dad without me,” Daisy reminds her. “So it won’t be the way things were. It’ll be new.”

Ellie nods. “You’re right.”

Aila tilts her head up to look at Daisy and slaps her knee. “Da. Da.”

Ellie leans into her. “ _Daisy_. Are you saying _Daisy_?”

“Da. Da.” The baby claps her hands.

When Ellie looks up, Daisy has tears in her eyes.

“Come now, lovely. It’s not as bad as all that,” Ellie says, rubbing her arm. “It’ll be difficult at first but you’ll have it all in hand soon enough.”

Daisy nods and squeezes Aila close. Aila squirms a bit and reaches for a Cheerio. Daisy grabs it and pops it into her mouth for her.

“I want you to know something.” Ellie turns her whole body to face Daisy, tucking her feet underneath her. “I want you to know what an essential part of this family you are. Things will go on without you, of course, but it’ll be different. Your absence will be felt, and not just by your dad. Fred has been utterly in love with you from day one. He values your opinion above all else, I think. Will always want to impress you. And Tom…good christ what an unlikely pair you two have become. I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am. You’ve been such an amazing influence on him. I don’t know how he’d have adjusted to everything these last years without you.” She pauses briefly, breathing out instead of crying. “And your sister.” She reaches out to squeeze Aila’s little hand. “Just lights up whenever you’re around. And I’m so grateful she’ll have someone to look up to, all her life.”

Daisy scoffs a bit through her tears. “Your timing is such shite, you know. Having a baby just ten months before I was due to leave home.”

“Well we couldn’t have had her any earlier, could we?”

She laughs. “No, I guess not.”

“Nothing like being in a relationship for four months and then getting pregnant,” Ellie quips. “Sometimes the universe makes all your decisions _for_ you.”

“Nobody else could’ve made it work,” Daisy tells her earnestly. “Another couple would’ve been torpedoed by that. But not you two.”

“Well.” Ellie looks down, smiling. “Your dad and I were sort of in it for the long run even before we were _together_.”

Daisy smiles and feeds Aila another Cheerio, causing Aila to clap.

“I was thinking the other day,” she says. “Wondering what things would be like now without you.”

Ellie snorts. “You’d never be without me. I’d be nagging your dad day in and out no matter what.”

“But if you’d never, you know. Gotten together. A world where you two were still too stubborn to admit your feelings for each other.”

Ellie’s eyes widen at the thought and she shakes her head in disbelief. “Oi. I s’pose there _is_ a world in which that’s possible but what a nightmare. How miserable we’d both be.”

“Like if Dad and I were still in that house on the hill. Assuming we’d still be in Broadchurch,” Daisy says. “Although I don’t think there’d have been a chance of Dad leaving you even if you _weren’t_ together. He deemed himself your protector long before you were dating.”

Ellie takes a big bite of her Paczki and groans. “Wanker,” she mutters, mouth half full.

“Everything would be so different. I don’t think Dad would ever have reconnected with the Glaswegian contingent. And then I doubt I’d be going to Edinburgh,” she tells her. “Maybe I wouldn’t be leaving at all. I’d find someplace as close as possible because he’d be impossible to leave. All mopey and sad and miserable.”

Ellie leans nudges her knee to Daisy’s. “I’d still be around one way or another. And I’d tell you to go.”

“You’d be with some other bloke,” Daisy argues. “And Dad would be beside himself all the bloody time.”

Aila crawls out of Daisy’s lap and into Ellie’s lap then tries to climb up her body. Ellie plops her firmly between her crossed legs.

“Dunno, Daiz,” she says. “I think it would’ve sorted itself. I promise you, as stubborn and infuriating as your father is, he would’ve broken down and kissed me at some point, no matter what. And almost certainly at the most inopportune time possible.”

Daisy finishes off the last of her pastry, nodding to herself.

“Daiz.” Ellie touches her knee. “It’s true that you will be incredibly missed and it’s true that we’re impossibly sad to see you go. But we’re also _happy_. You know that, right? We’re thrilled for you and we couldn’t be prouder. And as much as we’ll miss you, as morose as your dad is going to be for a while, we wouldn’t have it any other way, all right?” She smiles reassuringly, tears building in her eyes. “And I _promise you_ we will _never_ intentionally make you feel guilty for leaving. Never. Yes, we’ll always want you to come home, we’ll always want to see you as much as possible. But we also know it’s important for you to be on your own and we want that for you. So never mistake our missing you for a guilt trip, yeah? And if you ever do start to feel guilty, you tell me. I’ll make certain we do things differently.”

Daisy wipes her tears with a sugar-coated napkin and nods. “Thanks, El.”

“We love you _so much_.”

Daisy lurches forward and hugs her, squeezing Aila in the middle. “I love you too.”

*

The boys are in the kitchen when they return. It’s nearly 9:30 and despite Alec’s initial complaints, Ellie knows he must have taken advantage of the opportunity to have a lie in.

Fred sits at the table in his pyjamas, stirring a bowl of waffle batter. Tom is frying up sausage and bacon at the cooker. And Alec is standing at the counter, a crutch under his arm, buttering and jamming up some toast. They’ve got her “Lazy Sunday” playlist on even though it is Saturday.

“Good morning, my lovely boys!” Ellie greets them, thoroughly delighted by the sight of them.

Fred sits up on his knees. “Mumma we’re gonna use the waffle maker!”

Ellie had nearly forgotten about it. A wedding gift from – someone.

“Wonderful!” She adjust the baby on her hip and sneaks up behind Alec. “I _knew_ you liked this playlist,” she whispers in his ear, then she pinches his arse. He smirks slyly back at her. “Now get off that ankle, detective.”

Daisy walks around to the cooker and grabs a piece of bacon resting on a paper towel. She pops it into her mouth.

“Oi!” Tom complains.

She flashes him a toothy grin. Aila lurches toward Alec, arms outstretched.

“A- _da_ -da!” She demands.

Ellie holds her back. “No no, sweet girl, Daddy can’t hold you right now.” She flashes Alec a stern look. “Not until he sits his sexy arse down.”

Alec sighs and abandons the stack of toast slices. He hobbles over to the kitchen table and sits.

“There we go.”

She hands Aila to her father. Aila bounces in his lap happily. “A- _da_ -da.”

Ellie grabs a piece of toast and munches on it while she glances over Fred’s shoulder at the batter. She sticks her finger in and then licks it.

“Oi, woman,” Alec complains.

Fred giggles and does it too.

“No, no, no.” Alec shakes his head. “Not you too.”

Aila shakes her head, mimicking her father, as Tom comes over and sticks his finger in as well.

“Bloody bunch of heathens, you all are.”

With a cheeky grin, Ellie leans down and kisses him firmly on the lips. “Good, yeah?”

He licks his lips. “Sweet.”

She rolls her eyes at him, then sticks her finger into the batter again and then offers it to Aila, who immediately sucks on her finger.

“Take that, Daddy.”

“Ach.” Alec grimaces, then looks down at Aila. “Mummy is absolutely _disgustin’_.”

Aila bounces, already on a sugar high.

“I’m gonna shower,” Ellie announces happily as she skips out of the room.

“Un-bloody-believable.”

*

Later that morning, Daisy is holed up in her room, finishing up her packing. As she stuffs too many jumpers into a suitcase, Fred appears in the slightly ajar doorway, holding a small action figure.

“Daisy?”

“What are you, shy now?” She laughs. “Come on in.”

Fred trudges over and climbs up onto the only free spot on the bed. His legs dangle off the edge.

“What’s up?”

He looks at her with wide, vulnerable eyes. Even Daisy can’t help thinking he looks impossibly like his mother.

“When you go away, when will you come back?”

Daisy blinks at the wording of the question, then smiles. “Be back all the time, Freddie. Some weekends. Holidays.”

“Will you be here for Christmas?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be here for Boxing Day?”

“…Yes.”

“Will you be here for New Year’s?”

“Probably.”

Then Fred gasps suddenly. “WHAT ABOUT HALLOWEEN?”

“Well.” She exhales. “Dunno yet. Maybe not.”

“But I’m gonna be Aquaman!”

“I’ll see photos anyway,” she tells him. “And we can Facetime before you go trick-or-treating.”

Fred is quiet for a moment before resuming his line of questioning.

“Will you be here for Easter?”

“Um…possibly.”

“Will you be here for MY BIRTHDAY?”

“I’ll try!”

“And Mumma’s birthday? And Daddy’s birthday? And Tom’s birthday? And Aila’s birthday?”

Daisy sighs and makes room for herself on the bed beside him. “Dunno yet, Fred. Hopefully.”

He hangs his head. “Tom is nicer to me when you’re around.”

She slips an arm around him and squeezes him. “If Tom’s mean to you, you tell me, all right? Unless of course you deserve it.”

“Will you go to Hogwarts?”

“What?”

“In Scotland. Will you go to Hogwarts?”

“………..Might do.”

“And keep looking for Nessie.”

“The search goes on, yes.” She smiles.

“Will you start eating haggis like Daddy?”

Daisy recoils. “Good god no.”

“Yuck.” Fred pulls a face as well. “Daddy’s gross.”

She grins. “Daddy _is_ gross.”

He quiets again, kicking the bed with his feet thoughtfully. And then, “Will Daddy be sad when you go away?”

Daisy squeezes him again and kisses the top of his head. “He might be. For a bit.”

“Daddy’s grumpy a lot now. I don’t want him to be sad too.”

“Dad’s just grumpy ‘cause of his ankle, Freddie,” Daisy assures him. “He’ll be fine once he’s back on his feet."

Fred nods uncertainly, then looks up at her. “He says he loves us all the same even though Tom and me don’t have his blood in us.”

“Yeah, reckon he does,” Daisy agrees. “Tom and _I_.”

Fred frowns.

Daisy chuckles. “Sorry.”

Then Fred thrusts out the Batman figurine in his hands. “You should have him.”

Her jaw drops. “Batman!?”

“Batman will keep you safe in the big city. We don’t need him as much in Broadchurch. So you take Batman. Take him with you everywhere. Promise?”

Daisy smiles, blinking back tears. “Promise.”

*

After making a visit to her father, Ellie finds Alec in the back garden. He sits in an Adirondack chair while Tom and Fred play football a few yards off.

“Baby still asleep?” She asks, slowly coming up behind him.

Alec holds up the baby monitor and nods.

“Good.” She shields her eyes to look out at the boys running around, then folds her arms across her chest with an exhale. “And how are _you_.”

He grunts in response. With a knowing, sympathetic smile, Ellie moves to sit on his lap, careful to keep most of her weight on the leg that _isn’t_ attached to his sprained ankle. She slides an arm around his neck and with her other hand brushes the hair out of his face.

“Cheer up, love.” She presses her lips to his temple. “This is an exciting time for Daisy. Show her you’re excited.”

“’m _not_ excited,” he replies grumpily.

She nudges him. “You should be. You’ve raised an amazing girl who’s now off to take on the world. That’s something to be proud of.”

He avoids her gaze, but rubs her thigh, slipping up underneath the hem of her olive green shirt dress. The boys are far away enough, and distracted enough, not to notice.

“She’ll be too busy to come home, El,” he says finally. “She’ll forget to phone. After a while my texts will go unanswered.”

“No.” Ellie shakes her head firmly. “Not our Daiz. She’s a good girl, Alec. She may not be in touch every waking hour but she’ll not be leaving us behind by any stretch. You have to trust her.” She touches her forehead to his and lightly strokes his beard. “We’ll be all right. And she’ll be up there _thriving_. I find that exciting.”

He nods noncommittally. “Yeah.”

“Anyway you’ve got to put on a brave face for the kids,” she tells him. “They’ll be following your lead, you know.” She kisses his cheek, then his jaw. “We’re here to support you, and support each other.” She kisses his nose and his brow. “And you have another little girl who’s madly in love with you, who will want every second of attention you can possibly give her. She’ll not leave us for eighteen more years.”

He grimaces. “Eighteen years too soon.”

“Oh now don’t say _that_.” She pats his chest. “We’ll be well shot of ‘em. I mean, christ, that’s nearly forty years of parenting for you.”

His eyes widen as he attempts to do maths in his head. “Thirty-six years.”

“You see? You’ll be happy as a clam to have a quiet house after all that time.” She kisses his lips. “Think of all the rooms we can shag in. And be as loud as we want.”

He flashes her a crooked smile and slides his hand farther up her thigh.

“See, it’s not _all_ bad.”

His hand slips around to cup her arse as he leans to whisper in her ear. “Could we, um. Aila’s afternoon nap, we could, um…sneak upstairs and uh – “

Ellie shivers, tickled by his warm breath. She continues stroking his cheek. “Tess’ll be here in an hour or so.”

He closes his eyes, disappointment washing over him. “Fuck.”

She chuckles softly. “Later. We’ll turn in early, eh. I’ll give you one bloody helluva send off to Scotland tomorrow.”

He buries his face in her neck. “Please.”

Ellie closes her eyes and rests her head on his, rubbing his back soothingly, until a rustling sounds from the baby monitor.

“You see that?” She smiles into his hair. “Your junior partner knows just when you need her.”

He raises his head and squeezes her thigh. “My senior partner does too.”

Ellie grins, but then hops up off his lap and feigns a scowl. “Who’re you callin’ _senior_?!”

*

Tess arrives at the house just as they’re finishing lunch. When Ellie opens the front door, she nearly gasps. She’s gotten used to the many faces and personalities of her husband’s ex-wife but this is a new one.

…Casual.

Tess wears dark denim jeans and a loose, slightly oversized t-shirt, trainers on her feet. She’s cut her hair and it hangs, just vaguely wavy, just below her chin. She’s fresh-faced and wearing very little makeup.

“….Well hello there,” Ellie greets her, trying to downplay her astonishment.

“Hello, Ellie.”

Ellie stares at her for a moment before taking a few steps back to clear the entryway. “Come on through, please.”

“Hope it’s not a bad time,” Tess says, stepping into the foyer. “I got in an hour or so ago, though I’d offer my services to Daisy in the way of cleaning and packing.”

“Yeah, great, ‘course.” She smoothes out her shirt dress instinctively. “…Did you walk here from the Trader’s?” She sees no car besides their two in the drive.

“Oh. No.” Tess frowns a bit in slight confusion. “I’m staying with Lucy. She didn’t tell you?”

“…Lucy _my sister_ Lucy?”

Tess blinks at her.

“…No she did not. That is excellent information, thank you.”

Tess rocks back and forth on her heels. “The Trader’s was all booked up. Last nice weekend of the summer and all that.”

“Right, right.” She bites the inside of her cheek then breathes out. “Come on then, everyone’s in the kitchen, we’re just finishing up lunch.”

In the kitchen, everyone is seated at the table, plates mostly clean, except Daisy, who is at the sink wetting a tea towel.

“Look who it is!” Ellie announces.

She glances at Tess, who is laughing. Ellie follows her gaze to the highchair, where Aila sits, her face covered in yoghurt, a big cheeky grin on her face.

“Oh, heaven’s sake.”

“It’s all right, El.” Daisy comes over with the towel and begins to wipe off a defiant Aila’s face. “Hi, Mum.”

“Hi, love.”

“Literally faceplanted herself in her yoghurt,” Alec states, still quite flabbergasted by the whole thing. “Could not have been more calculated.”

“What have I always told you?” Ellie replies. “She’s a shifty thing, our baby.”

“She’s so big,” Tess observes, watching how good her daughter is with Aila.

When Daisy wipes her clean, Aila grins proudly at Ellie. “Mumumum.”

“Yes, _Mumumum_ ,” Ellie repeats with both amusement and exasperation as she lifts the baby out of her highchair. “I think you’ve had quite enough to eat, little girl.”

“Growin’ like a weed,” Alec replies to Tess.

“I’m big too,” Fred reminds her, shifting to sit on his knees.

“Oh, ‘course you are, Fred,” Tess agrees. “Bigger and bigger every time I see you.”

He smiles smugly. “Are you here to take Daisy away?”

“ _Fred_ ,” Ellie sighs.

“Tess and I will be drivin’ Daisy up to school in the mornin’, lad,” Alec tells him. “You know that.”

Tess runs a quick hand through Daisy’s hair then settles her hand on her shoulder. “You need help getting it all sorted, love?”

Daisy nods. “Nearly finished.”

As they head for the hallway, Ellie stops them. “Tess, you’ll come for supper, yeah? I’m afraid it won’t be anything fancy as Alec’s more or less out of commission and I’m rubbish in the kitchen, but at the very least it’ll be the best takeaway money can buy.”

“That’s very kind, Ellie, thanks.”

Daisy grabs onto Tess’ arm. “Come on, Mum.”

Once they’ve disappeared down the hallway, Tom looks squarely at his mother. “When you say _the best takeaway money can buy_ …”

Ellie raises a pointed eyebrow. “ _Not_ pizza.”

“Tonight’s about Daisy,” Alec adds. “We’ll be orderin’ all her favourites.”

“And cake?” Fred asks hopefully.

Both his parents frown at him.

“…Just asking.”

*

Throughout supper, Alec stays unusually connected to Ellie. Well, perhaps not unusually, but _more_ than usually. Tess at his dining room table, Daisy leaving in the morning, and the helplessness he feels due to his injury together cause him to feel extraordinarily vulnerable. He keeps a hand on her thigh, occasionally reaches for her hand whenever it’s free. She returns his affection, sensing his desperation, and rubs his back or scratches the back of his neck. She tries to do it casually, keeping her eyes focused on everyone else at the table, so that Tess does not take their heightened attachment as rubbing her face in it.

Afterwards, both Tom and Daisy head out. Daisy’s friend Maggie is throwing her a small going away do at her house. Ellie convinces Tess to stay for a nightcap, but soon has to disappear to handle the bedtimes of the two little ones.

Thus, Alec and Tess are left to their own devices, both seated on the sofa with considerable distance between them, glasses of scotch in hand.

“Can you believe our girl is already off to uni?” Tess shakes her head, lifting her glass to her lips.

“Swear just yesterday she was in nappies.” He lifts his glass as well. “…Or maybe that’s just Aila.”

“It’s all still so _clear_ to me,” she continues. “I remember with absolute clarity bringing her home from hospital. Sleepless nights. The first time she smiled.”

Alec takes a breath, then slowly lets it out. “Yeah.”

“But you’ve got all that going again, haven’t you.”

He clears his throat a bit. “It’s not – I mean, it doesn’t _replace_ those memories. Aila said _Dada_ for the first time a few weeks ago but I still remember the first time Daisy said it just as plainly. Eleven months, from her car seat on our way to the child minder’s.”

“Christ, we were so young.”

Alec smirks. “Funny how thirty seems young now. I remember being in school and thinking thirty was _ancient_.”

Tess chuckles. “I think whatever age you have your first baby seems young. It’s all so new. You feel like you’re relearning everything you thought you knew already.”

He nods. “True. I remember thinking we’d never sleep again.”

“Is there anyone you would change about those days?”

Shifting a bit uncomfortably, he takes a long sip of his scotch before answering. “I’d have been around more, I think. I missed more than I care to think about.”

“We both did,” Tess concedes. “S’pose that’s the thing about being young…you’re trying to build your career, not to lose momentum, and trying to build a family at the same time. I imagine it’s much easier for you now, with Aila.”

“I have more perspective now, yeah. And I’m not married to my job in quite the same way,” Alec replies. “And now having _four_ kids…the balance is actually much easier. The kids win every time. Barring, well, murder or the like.”

Tess turns toward him, tucking a leg underneath her and leaning against the back cushion of the sofa. “Would you have done things differently? In retrospect?”

Alec hesitates, staring into the quickly disappearing liquor in his glass. “You’re not gonna like my answer.”

“We’ve been split up over six years, Alec. You might be surprised.”

He takes a sip then grips his glass tightly. “No. I wouldn’t have done things differently. If I’d done things differently, I might not – well, I might not be with Ellie.”

Tess looks down at her lap and nods. “Yeah.”

“The truth is I’m – sorry for a lot of things I’ve done in the past, I feel badly about them, but I don’t regret them. I don’t regret things anymore now I’m with Ellie because changing any one of those things might have led to a different path. And I can’t contemplate that.”

“Yeah,” she says again, throwing back what’s left of her glass. Then she oddly seems to brighten when she looks at him again. “Do you remember our first night alone after Daisy was born? My mother took her overnight. We had a _terrible_ meal at that Italian place down the street then we came home and drank far too much red wine.”

“And had a shag on the kitchen floor? Yeah, I remember.” He puts his glass down on the coffee table, if only for something to do.

“The kitchen tiles were _so cold_ , it was the middle of winter.” Tess begins laughing heartily.

“Don’t remember that.”

“Well, you were otherwise engaged of course.”

He finds himself blushing at bit. “I’ve always been very focused on my work.”

“Yes you _have_.” She raises an eyebrow at him. Then she imperceptibly inches closer to him. “Very…dedicated, I remember.”

“Hard to imagine that sort of stamina now, isn’t it?”

"Not for me."

“Yes, well.” He clears his throat again. “You women peak around middle age, don’t you.”

“ _We women_ , yes.” Her arm casually slinks over the back of the sofa, closing in on him. “We had it good for a while there, didn’t we?”

He stares at the coffee table as he nods slowly. “For a while, yeah.”

Tess places her glass down on the table next to his and moves onto her knees facing him. “I never could understand but you had such a _way_ of turning me on. Perhaps because you made me work for it, I don’t know.”

“Ah, dunno ‘bout that.”

“I do.”

She leans forward, into him. Alec is entirely paralyzed by his shock until her lips are pressed to his, then he lurches backward and jumps up, insomuch as he can with his bum ankle.

“Uh, no. No, no.” He coughs a bit. “Tess. I’m – no. Sorry. I didn’t – “

“Oh, god, no. No, of course.” She touches her hands to her flushed cheeks then stands as well. “I’m so sorry. Christ, here in your house with your new wife upstairs. Bloody hell.”

“It’s, um. All right. It’s – “

“All that wine at supper, then the scotch, and the…nostalgia, the…Daisy leaving’s got me on edge, got me sentimental, and I – “

“I know. Me too, it’s – “

“Truly I’m so sorry.”

He breathes out, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It’s all right.”

“Won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t.”

Tess gathers her things. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning, yeah?”

He nods, walking her to the door. “See you at 8am. You’re all right to get back? I can call you a cab.”

“No need.” She smiles curtly.

“I’ll text Lucy you’re on your way.”

Tess nods, smiles awkwardly at him, then disappears out the front door. After he closes it, Alec leans back against the door, hands still in pockets, and fixes his eyes on the staircase in front of them. He takes a breath.

***


	3. Chapter 3

After closing the door behind Tess, Alec leans back against it, looking at the staircase before him. It’s unclear how long he spends simply staring and breathing, in and out, in and out.

Then Ellie comes jogging down the stairs, oddly ebullient and relaxed. “Should we open another bottle?”

Alec shakes his head imperceptibly, returning to the present moment. “Wha?”

She narrows her gaze at him. “Why are you just standing there?” She turns and stretches her neck, trying to see the living room. “Has Tess gone?”

“Yeah, just now.”

“Oh. Well. You and I could open a bottle anyway.” She continues on down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen.

After a beat, he follows her. She pulls a bottle of rose out of the refrigerator and unscrews the cap.

“Hand me those?” She gestures to their two empty glasses from supper.

Distractedly, he hands them to her by the stems.

“Thought supper went fairly well,” she says, pouring the wine then offering him a glass. “Not so awkward. Wish Daisy and Tom hadn’t run off so quickly though.” She leans against the counter and takes a long sip. “Fred was _full_ of questions just now. I had to promise him we’d buy him a wall calendar and mark all the days Daisy might come home. Not certain he can even _read_ a calendar.” She takes another sip. “Buck up, detective. Don’t tap out on me now. I believe you were the one who insisted I give you a good shag tonight.”

“Sorry.” He forces a smile. “’m with you.”

She studies him briefly. “I hope you called Tess a cab.”

“Didn’t want one,” he replies. “Texted Lucy to keep an eye out for her.”

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Just like Tess to act like she knows her way around a place she’s not spent more than two consecutive days in. And can you _believe_ Lucy?”

“...Honestly?”

“I mean, it’s _fine_ , I’m not upset that Tess is staying in her spare room, I’m just baffled that she wouldn’t _tell_ me. Or frankly _ask_ me first. Of course I’d have said yes, not a problem, but still. Hosting your sister’s husband’s ex-wife without a word? Bit rude.” She looks at him over the rim of her wine glass as she sips. “ _Alec_.”

“Sorry,” he says again. “Upstairs?”

She smirks. “I’ll race you.”

“Very funny.”

Ellie doesn’t wait for him or pace herself as he hobbles slowly up the stairs. She’s long given up on that. By the time he makes it to their bedroom, Ellie has already washed her face and gathered her hair into a ponytail. She’s topping off her wine from the bottle she brought up with her.

“How much foreplay d’you want?”

He lets out a short laugh and, with some difficulty, closes their bedroom door behind him.

“Because we can cut straight to it if you want.”

He leans his crutch against the wall and hobbles over to the bed. “My wife the romantic.”

“Hey, we’re an old married couple now, I said it out loud to my therapist and everything,” Ellie replies, leaning against her dresser.

“Dunno what that _means_ ,” Alec says, looking down at his feet once seated on the edge of the mattress.

“It apparently means we’re less spontaneous than we used to be,” Ellie answers with a laugh.

She takes one last sip of her wine then leaves it on the surface of the dresser.

“’s not true.”

She takes a few steps toward him, standing in between his knees and going for the buttons of his shirt.

“El.” He stops her hands.

She blinks at him. “What.”

“Uh.” He shiftily avoids her gaze. “Tess kissed me tonight.”

Ellie frowns in confusion. She takes a step backward, hands falling to her sides. “Sorry?”

“When you were puttin’ the little ones down,” he says obviously. “We were indulgin’ in a bit of nostalgia and – “

She frowns harder. “Sorry, you were _indulging in a bit of nostalgia_?”

“…We were talkin’ about old times, when Daisy was small, about how well she’s grown up and how fast. And we got to talkin’ about how things were back then, and – “

“Waxing poetic,” Ellie says dryly.

“It wasn’t – I think she just got caught up in it. She wasn’t thinkin’.” He reaches for her hand but she takes another step back, out of his reach. “Honestly I didn’t even notice, she kept gettin’ closer to me, it didn’t even _occur_ to me that she might – that she would even want – that there was even a _possibility_ that – “

“Yes, all right, get to the good stuff, will you please?” She places her hands on her hips impatiently.

“She just, um. One minute we were talkin’, the next she was leanin’ forward and --- you know. Her lips were on mine,” Alec explains stiltingly.

“And.”

“And I backed away immediately. Then so did she. It was – half a second, _maybe_.”

Ellie nods her head slowly, then returns to her dresser and picks up her wine glass. She throws some back, swallowing hard.

“What were you saying? Immediately prior.”

Alec almost laughs. She’s just gotten through telling him to skip that bit and now she wants to go back.

“Um. She was sayin’ that she – “ He sighs heavily. “She was talkin’ about how I used to turn her on.”

Ellie’s eyes widen considerably.

“How she thinks it’s because I made her ‘work for it’ or somethin’.”

Her mouth pops open just slightly.

“And how on earth did you get on _that_ topic?”

Alec rubs his face, letting out a groan. “She brought up our first night alone after Daiz was born."

Ellie raises an eyebrow. “Uh huh…”

“Which, um. Culminated in a, um. Shag on the kitchen floor.”

She coughs, then shakes her head, then takes a long sip from her glass. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly then opens them again, trying to dislodge the image.

Alec straightens a bit. “To be fair, I also said more than once during the conversation that I wouldn’t change a bloody thing about my relationship with her because it might mean I never met _you_.”

“Ah, nice of you.”

“ _Ellie_.”

He so badly wants to get up, to go her, or at least be able to pace back and forth. His injury prevents him from doing much more than sit there, a passive participant.

Ellie breathes out, then bows her head and stares at the floor, nodding to herself.

“Well,” he says finally. “Now you see. Now you understand what it felt like when Hal – “

“ _No_ ,” Ellie replies tersely, her head snapping back up. “No, no, no. This is not that, Alec. This is not the same thing. Hal is a person we work with, someone we’ve known a year, someone who barely crosses our minds from day to day. Tess is your _ex-wife_. Tess is someone who shared a bed with you for fifteen years, who you were _in love with_. It is _not_ the same thing.”

He sighs, then nods. “I know. Ellie – “

She holds a hand up. “Just – give me a minute.”

Alec sits with his hands in his lap, literally twiddling his thumbs as Ellie takes a few aimless steps. She glances at the ceiling frowning, then bites her lip and looks down at the floor. Her eyes fall to their framed wedding portrait on his nightstand. Then he tries to stand.

“I didn’t kiss her back,” he states insistently. “I swear to god, El, I didn’t – there was _no_ reciprocation, I moved away immediately, I did _not_ kiss her back.”

She returns her focus to him, her face softening. “Sit back down,” she says gently. “I know. I know you didn’t.”

He breathes an actual sigh of relief. “Oh thank god,” he mutters under his breath.

“Don’t be silly, Alec, I know you didn’t kiss her back.” Ellie moves to sit beside him on the edge of the mattress. “Just like you knew I didn’t kiss Hal back. We don’t worry about those things.”

He breathes in infinite love for her then breathes out gratitude. “No, we don’t.”

“It’s not you I’m cross with,” she says. “But it _is_ …it’s a hard thing to picture. It’s a hard thing to know about. The idea of her lips on yours is not --- I don’t – “

He places a hand on her knee. “I know.”

In fact, though he’d never admit it, he’s almost pleased. While he can frequently be prone to bouts of jealousy, she is, on the whole, quite unmovable on that score. She laughs it off more often than not, while he seethes.

He briefly tries to imagine how he would feel if presented with the image of Joe kissing _her_ and within half a second his skin is burning and his heart rate triples.

“How did you leave it,” Ellie asks softly, covering his hands with hers.

He shrugs. “We said goodbye. Said we’d see each other in the morning. That was that.”

She turns to him. “You have to spend all day with her tomorrow. Eight hours in the car, just inches apart.”

He groans. “I realize that.”

“…I s’pose there’s nothing to be done.” She turns to face him, tucking one leg underneath her. “How are you…feeling?” She asks a bit hesitantly.

Frankly he’s hardly considered that. From the moment Tess kissed him, his thoughts have revolved around Ellie.

As he contemplates his response, she crinkles up her nose and offers a cheeky grin. “D’you feel a bit…vindicated at all?”

He snorts, then hangs his head as he composes himself. He’s smiling at her when he looks up. “I love you.”

She nudges his arm. “Come on, you do, don’t you.”

“…Yeah, a bit, _maybe_.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Ellie agrees. “After all this, _she_ wants _you_. Sad old cow. Made her bed, she did.”

She draws him into her, his head resting on her shoulder, and rubs his back.

“She sees you with me, see what we have, what our life is like. Sees you all sexy and paternal. Loving and vulnerable. All the things she’ll never have. We have a brilliant, gorgeous, perfect baby girl and she has a house and a job,” Ellie says.

In general, she tries not to be so harsh about Tess. She’s worked hard to develop empathy for her. But Tess has now forfeited her right to such kindness. For the moment, at least.

With a lopsided smile, he replies, “Gloves are off, eh?”

She shifts them so that he can see her face. “She kissed my husband. Took me a good long time to make him mine and I’d rather like to keep him if you please.”

His arms circle her waist. “She’s no threat to _you_.”

Ellie smiles back smugly. “Quite right.”

“No one’s a threat to you.”

She blushes a bit but keeps her smirk intact. “You’re just angling for a good shag.”

He nods sheepishly and buries his face in her neck. “Mm-hmm.”

“Oh, all right. I s’pose I did promise.”

He plants kisses along her clavicle then settles in to leave a mark on her neck. “Mm-hmm,” he murmurs again.

She keeps her arms around him, rubbing his back as he sucks at her skin.

“I love you so much,” he says before running his tongue over the faint red mark he’s left on her.

“My sweet cripple,” she coos at him. And then very seriously: “Take your trousers off.”

It’s an arduous process. Ellie bites her lip to keep from laughing as she watches him hop on one foot and also use the dresser to steady him. Once he’s kicked them off, she pulls off her knickers, though leaves her dress on, and slides back onto the bed. He all but launches himself on top of her.

“ _Mind yourself_ ,” Ellie instructs him, though it’s mostly muffled by her own laughter.

“Don’t care.” He covers her body with his. “Want to make proper love to my wife.”

“Oh, proper love, is it,” she replies, tangling her fingers in his hair.

He slides his hand down to her inner thigh and she makes a sharp hissing noise through her teeth.

“Mm-hmm.” He parts her lips with his tongue and wastes no time diving into her mouth. Once he’s left her good and breathless, he adds, “Can’t believe you married me.”

She grins widely and he kisses her flushed cheek. “Didn’t have a choice once you’d knocked me up.”

“Uh huh.” He massages her breast through the layers of her dress and her bra, planting kisses all over her chest. His knee slips between her legs and she grinds against it.

“Speaking of which,” she breathes out, using her hands in his hair to halt him. “Gonna need a condom to make certain that doesn’t happen _again_.”

They are, alas, still about a week away from Alec’s vasectomy’s ability to do its job properly.

He starts to slide down her body. “Don’t need it yet.”

She raises her head, propping herself up on her elbows, as he pushes her dress up over her hips. “Mind your ankle, you can’t – “

“ _Ellie_.” He looks up at her from between her legs. “Ankle’s nearly healed. Hush now.”

Before she can respond, his tongue is inside her. Her elbows give out and she collapses back on the bed. She hasn’t let him do this to her in a month, unconvinced that he could settle in a position that was kind to his injury. He flicks her clit with his tongue a few times before closing his mouth around it and sucking.

“Oh god.”

“Mm-hmm.”

He grips onto her thighs, holding her close as she begins to writhe. There’s a soft vibration coming from somewhere on the bed. Ellie reaches her hand out instinctively, all the while moaning her approval to the man between her legs, then picks up Alec’s mobile. On the screen is a text from Tess.

**So sorry again.**

Ellie finds herself grinning and tosses the mobile away. Somehow she finds it turns her on even _more_.

“Oh, fuck,” she gasps. _And fuck you, Tess,_ she thinks. _Those lips you kissed are sucking on my clit now, you desperate cow._ “ _Yes_ ,” is what she says out loud.

“Mm.” He murmurs his approval of her approval and doubles down, slipping a finger inside her.

She grabs onto a pillow, squeezing it tightly, whimpering. Her other hand covers her face. Alec glances up at her quickly before inserting another finger and making her come, hard, and _loud_. He grins into her thigh until she steadies and stops quivering. He’s missed this.

“Oh good _christ_ ,” Ellie exhales, removing her hand from her face and flopping her arm down on the bed.

He moves to kiss the inside of her other thigh, slowly, slowly, dragging his tongue upward to her belly button. He bites into her flesh then sucks on it, humming happily. Her fingers find his hair and thread themselves through it.

“If this is what it’s going to be like after a kiss from Tess, she should kiss you more often,” Ellie quips.

Alec raises his head, frowning at her. “Implication bein’ that I’m not _always_ this good.” He takes his shirt off and tosses it to the side, then starts pushing her dress up as far as he can.

She lifts herself up slightly, core strength unlocked, and pulls her dress over her head. “No, but you are _especially_ good when you have something to apologize for.”

He moves to lie beside her, his erection, contained by his stretched briefs, pressing into her hip.

“How’s your ankle?” She asks with a flash of concern.

“Fine,” he murmurs into her arm, kissing his way up to her shoulder. He runs his hand over her stomach, occasionally stopping to grab a handful of flesh at her hips.

“D’you feel all right?” She’s watching him studiously, fingertips ghosting over his shoulder.

“Mm?”

“Sorry, I know it’s strange, but I’m realizing it might have been….traumatic for you? Not traumatic, but – difficult,” Ellie says. “Confusing?”

“What.” His lips are approaching a satin-clad breast.

“When Tess kissed you.”

He raises his head to look at her with a half-lidded eyes. “Wha?”

“Fifteen years of marriage, six years of divorce…it’s complicated.”

He scoots up a bit so that he’s face to face with her. “’s not complicated.”

Ellie reaches out to scrape her fingers along his beard, waiting for more.

“’s not complicated and it’s damned bloody well not confusin’,” he tells her. “Not confused, Ellie.”

“I just mean – “

He shakes his head. “The only person I was ever s’posed to be with is you.”

Her lips curve into a bright smile. “Take your pants off.”

He grins back at her and slips out of his briefs. While he does that, she reaches over to the bedside and grabs a random condom from what little is left is in their post-vasectomy basket.

“Ribbed,” Ellie announces before ripping open the packet. “Jackpot.”

He hangs his head with a laugh, then she rolls the condom on and his laugh turns into a full-bodied sigh. He dips down to kiss her once, then says, “Bra.”

She nods, kissing him back and simultaneously reaching behind her to undo the clasp. He yanks it off her then presses his entire body to the length of hers. He rocks into her slowly, painstakingly, until he slips inside her. She moans with anticipation as he pulls out again, then buries himself deep within her. Their lips come apart reluctantly when they both gasp and then smile.

“Love you,” he says.

“I love _you_ ,” she replies.

He captures her lips as he begins to rock into her. One hand covers her breast, thumb brushing over her nipple. She holds his face in her hands, occasionally combing fingers through his damp hair.

His mobile vibrates again somewhere on the mattress. Ellie’s hand instinctively outstretches and she grabs onto it. It’s a text in the family group chat with Tom and Daisy.

**TOM: Home in an hour. Daisy sober and hydrated for early wakeup call.**

Ellie squints at the screen as Alec, who has dipped his head between her neck and shoulder, doesn’t notice at all.

“Kids home in an hour.” She throws the mobile back across the bed.

He raises his head with a grumpy grunt. “No more mobiles in bed.”

“Sorry.” She reaches down with to grab his arse with both hands as an apology. He groans with pleasure and pinches her nipple in response. She raises her hips. “Deeper now.”

He groans again, nipping at her bottom lip as he pushes deeper inside her. She lets out euphoric gasp. He kisses the gasp away, then hooks his arms underneath her knees and moves a little faster. Unabashedly he stares at her breasts, frustrated when his hair falls over his eyes and threatens to block his view. She arches her back with a wanton moan and he has to focus intensely on not finishing right in that moment.

It’s not easy for him to change positions and he’s so relishing being on top for the first time in over the month. When Ellie starts to get restless, he returns to her lips then slips a hand in between them to stroke her clit – just lightly, slowly, tantalizingly. Better to make her come so she’s less likely to judge _him_ for coming too quickly.

She sighs out an _I love you_ and closes her eyes. He pushes into her harder until she finally cries out, thrusting her breasts at him. He takes one in his mouth as she comes, then follows her with a wild, unfiltered gasp.

She’s still coming down from her own orgasm when he rolls off her, reaching for the condom to dispose of it. He returns to his back, panting and staring at the ceiling, and she turns into him, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Fucking love you,” she declares with a kiss to his chest.

“Mm.” He kisses her hair and brings an arm around her. “You’re a truly magnificent creature, you are.”

“Thank god I never have to fuck anyone else ever in my life.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’ll probably die first you know,” he says. “And I’m gonna hold you to that from beyond the grave.”

“Shh.” She pats his cheek. “Don’t ruin it with all your talking.”

“ _My_ talkin’?” He retorts.

“Shhhhh,” she whispers again.

A crackling from the baby monitor is followed by a few plaintive cries.

“Noooooooo,” Ellie groans, hiding her face in his arm.

With a heavy sigh, Alec reaches out for the video monitor and holds the screen in front of them, squinting at it.

“Rollin’ around a bit,” he narrates for her. “Kickin’ those stubbly legs about.” The cries taper off. “Aaand she’s found her pacifier, there’s our clever girl.”

Basking in the silence, Ellie smiles and says, “God, I love her.”

He returns the monitor to his nightstand. “Best thing we’ve ever done,” he agrees.

She snuggles back into his shoulder. “You ready to set off with your other daughter at first light?”

Alec groans.

“And spend eight hours in a car with the ex-wife who just kissed you?”

He grunts. “Nice to see you’re already happy to make light of it.”

“Let it be awkward for _her_ ,” Ellie tells him fervently. “Doesn’t need to be awkward for _you_. You took it in stride and went off to shag your wife. She’ll spend the whole night stewing about it. So you just go about your business just as you would any other day, yeah? You focus on Daisy. Tess’s issues need not be _your_ issues.”

He turns onto his side, dislodging her a bit, so that he can face her. “You truly are a remarkable woman, Eleanor Hardy. D’you know that?”

She grins, her nose crinkling. “Yes I do.” She wraps her arms around him and pulls him close. “And don’t call me Eleanor.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

*

It’s a busy morning at the House of Hardy. And a crowded morning. Before 8am hits, the house is bustling. Tom helps Daisy pack up Tess’s car. David and Lucy arrive and are in charge of shipping whatever doesn’t fit in said car to Daisy’s dormitory in Edinburgh. Beth has come by with Lizzie to say goodbye. Fred, meanwhile, is throwing one tantrum after another. He’s a very grumpy little boy, highly displeased to be saying goodbye to his big sister but stubbornly unwilling to admit it. Ellie must wrangle the baby while also diffusing Fred’s tantrums, while Alec, glued to his crutch, more or less watches it all go down from his perch on the front porch.

The goodbyes are messy and heartfelt and mildly dramatic. Tess watches as all of these people, people who were not in her life only a few years earlier, fawn over her daughter. She becomes more and more aware as time goes on just how full Daisy’s life in Broadchurch has been.

Ellie hands the baby off to Lucy and helps Alec to the car. Standing outside the passenger door, she smoothes out his shirt and places her hands on his shoulders.

“Remember what I told you,” she says, gaze unwavering.

He nods. “Yeah.”

“If things get uncomfortable, put on a podcast.”

“Got it.”

“Ring me when you get there. And then ring me when you get to the hotel.”

“At minimum,” he agrees.

This will be the first time, outside of the rare row, that they have spent the night apart. And certainly the first time they’ve spent the night apart in different cities. Countries.

“Love you.” She kisses him.

“I love you,” he replies, stroking her cheek with his free hand.

“Oi, you two, time to shove off then!” Daisy exclaims from the open window of the back seat.

They kiss one last time before she helps him into his seat, then sticks the crutch in the very crowded backseat with Daisy.

“Safe travels!” Ellie exclaims, squeezing Daisy’s shoulder before shutting the car door. “Be good. Be patient with each other. And have fun!”

“Love you, El,” Daisy says, tears fresh in her eyes.

“Love _you_ , my sweet girl.”

*

The once and past Hardy family only last forty-five minutes before the podcast method is employed. It’s strange for every one of them. The last time the three of them were alone in a car together, Tess and Alec were still married. Daisy immediately feels herself reverting into her child self, which is the last thing she needs as she prepares to be on her own in a new city.

Tess is especially quiet, afraid to say the wrong thing, after last night’s events. Daisy is vaguely aware of a particular heaviness between her parents, but thinks little of it, given the circumstances.

They stop for lunch in Manchester, during which time Daisy tells them in great detail about her dormitory. Or what she’s been told her dormitory is like. She’s been texting with her new roommate and can’t wait to meet her in person. She also has a detailed plan of how she’s like to arrange the furniture and how she will decorate it. Alec and Tess nod and smile, both probably fighting with competing visions of Daisy as a small child.

Before they get back on the road, Alec phones Ellie and Tess walks off and pretends to phone someone as well.

Shortly after they cross over into Scotland, Daisy receives a video from Ellie. It’s of Aila, slapping a framed picture of Daisy and repeating, “ _Da. Da. Da._ ” Daisy tries not to let her parents see her cry through the rear view mirror.

Upon their arrival at Daisy’s dormitory in Edinburgh, Alec feels utterly useless. Her room is on the third floor and there’s no elevator. In the time it takes for Tess and Daisy to unload the car, Alec has just barely made it to the room for the first time. He sits on Daisy’s bed and catches his breath.

“Well,” Tess breathes out, sitting on the yet unoccupied bed of Daisy’s roommate. “Here we are then.”

Daisy is looking around somewhat manically, planning what will go where. Tess and Alec exchange a slightly forlorn glance, then quietly watch the hope and excitement in their daughter’s face.

“Not a bad set up,” Alec says finally. “Not _too_ small. Room enough for you both to get on.” He nods at one of her suitcases. “Do me a favour and open that front pouch there.”

Daisy opens it and pulls out framed photo of Alec in his full, official police officer regalia. She immediately sighs and rolls her eyes.

“I want that front and center,” he demands. “God forbid you have any _boys_ over, I want them to be good and clear on the fact that your father is a copper.”

“ _And_ your mother!” Tess adds.

“And your stepmother,” Alec agrees. “Family full of coppers. Best behavior expected at all times, no exceptions.”

Daisy snorts. “Yeah, okay, Dad.”

*

They have supper together at a Chinese restaurant nearby. All three are fairly quiet, lost in their own thoughts, distracted by the notion of an impending goodbye. They return Daisy to her dorm around 8pm. Alec tries to turn away as Tess bids farewell to her daughter, attempting to give them a private moment.

When Daisy comes to _him_ , tears immediately prick his eyes.

“ _Dad_ ,” she scolds him.

“Ah, sorry, darlin’. Not proud of it.” He wipes a few tears away.

“I _promise_ I’ll come home at least one weekend in September. All right?”

He nods.

“And I promise to return your calls. Maybe not right away every time, but I won’t forget,” she insists. “You’ll be all right, yeah?”

“Course,” he replies, voice breaking. “Just gonna miss you is all. Miss you like the dickens.”

Daisy smiles, her eyes glassy as well. “I’ll miss you too. You’ll just have to spend _extra_ time with Tom, Fred, and Aila for me.”

Alec outstretches his free arm and pulls her into a tight hug. “If you need anythin’ – _anythin’ –_ darlin’, you call. Or text. Or Facetime or…WhatsApp me. You need groceries or clothes or school supplies or just – money…”

Daisy laughs through her tears. “Dad.”

“Anythin’. You feel homesick, I’ll hop on a train. Or Ellie will hop on a train. Whatever you need,” he insists. “And we’re sendin’ Tom off to you whenever he becomes too much of a hormonal pain in the arse.”

She grins. “Deal.”

“I love you, you know.”

Her grin widens. “What? Noooo.”

“Love you so much, my darlin’ lass.”

She hugs him again. “Love you too, Dad. Now get on with you and stop being so soppy.”

He nods obediently. “You be good now.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Be kind to your roommate. And listen to your teachers.”

“ _Yes_ , Dad.”

“And humour your aunt and cousins when they inevitably come barrellin’ in from Glasgow,” he warns her.

“I will.” She laughs.

“All right.” He takes her hand and squeezes it. “Bye, darlin’.”

“Bye, Dad.” She turns to Tess, who has come around to the car. “Bye, Mum.”

“Bye, love. Ring anytime!” Tess calls back.

*

The drive to their hotel in the city centre is silent. They are united in their grief and there’s no need to discuss it.

Slinging his bag over one shoulder, Alec hobbles into the hotel lobby beside Tess. She steps up to the reception desk first, while he pulls out his mobile in a sudden desperate change of heart. By the time Tess walks back over to him, beckoning him to step to the desk for his return, he is just getting off the phone.

“What’s the matter?” She asks.

“I’ve rung for a taxi,” he tells her, slipping his mobile into his pocket. “There’s a 9:30 train back down south.”

“…….Oh.”

“Sorry.” He glances down sheepishly. “Just, um. With all this, I just – can’t stand to be away from Ellie and the kids longer than I need to.”

Tess nods slowly. “All right.”

“Um.” He hobbles forward slightly and kisses her lightly on the cheek. “Raised a good lass, we did.”

She smiles faintly. “We really did.”

“Take care of yourself.”

*

It’s after one in the morning when Alec’s train arrives. He takes a taxi home and takes a moment to marvel at the house once he’s dropped off. There’s a light on in the hallway and he can see through Fred’s window the faintest glint of his nightlight. Calm, peaceful, and secure. It still astonishes him that he gets to come home to all this every day.

He works his way to the front door slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. Key gingerly turned in the lock. He closes the front door behind him gently, then drops his bag and slips off his shoes. Despite his best efforts at discretion, a light switches on in the upstairs hallway. He grimaces. Then Ellie appears at the top of the stairs in her dressing gown, holding up her bedside lamp as a weapon.

He immediately starts chuckling. She brings a hand to her chest and lowers the lamp, exhaling audibly.

“Christ. It’s you.”

“Only me,” he confirms with a lopsided smile.

She leaves the lamp on the floor, then quickly descends the stairs to him. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“Didn’t wanna sleep without you.”

She goes straight to him and reaches for his free hand. “Why didn’t you _text_ me?”

He shrugs. “Didn’t want you to wait up.”

“Wanker.” She touches his cheek, then sighs. “Oh I’m so happy to see you. I couldn’t sleep. Just kept imaginin’ you alone in some shite hotel bed moping over Daisy.”

He just looks at her. She slips her arms around his neck and pulls him close.

“Wanna mope over Daisy with _you_ ,” he murmurs into her hair.

“Oh my sweet love.” She kisses his face all over. “Was it awful?”

He nods.

“I know,” she replies sympathetically. “Come on. Come to bed.” She kisses his lips. “You’ll tell me everythin’, tell me all about it until you fall asleep.”

He nods again. She smiles.

“Lovely man, you,” Ellie says, stroking his jaw. “You’ll be all right.”

He buries his face in her neck again, arms tight around her waist.

“Everything’s all right.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Another one in the books! It's continually amazed that so many people have stuck with me all this time. I'm so grateful whenever I hear there's still enthusiasm for this world after all this time. I appreciate all of you deeply. xx


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